Love's Labour
by Sillycritter
Summary: Being a cop, Miles was ready for anything...but nothing could prepare him for the infamous Detective Juliet Burke. Written for Jac Danvers' "Afterlife Challenge". Prompt: Miles Straume
1. Chapter 1

Usually Miles Straume kept his personal life away from his job and vice-versa. Working for the L.A. police precinct was a rewarding, albeit exhausting, job and trying to keep your life as simple as possible when you worked as a cop was definitely a challenge.

And then, Detective Juliet Burke walked into his life and turned it all upside down.

She came on special assignment detail from the Special Victims unit. The victim was a young girl who had been recently kidnapped and they were all assigned to try to try to track down the absentee father who was responsible.

It was an unsettling case for all of them but even more unsettling was that Burke always had to have everything done her way, when she wanted it, and it drove him nuts. After a hard day's work, he and Ford would hit the bar and instead of congratulating himself on a hard job well done, he'd find himself grumbling about "the redhead who was stealing all of his thunder".

"You know...if I didn't know any better," Ford had mused with a crooked grin, "the way you two are at each others' throats all day long, I'd think you secretly had the hots for her."

"No way in hell man." Just the thought of a date made him feel ill. "The day I ask out Juliet Burke is the day I die."

"O-kay," whistled Ford with a mischievous smile, "famous last words...hell, maybe I'll take a crack at her."

"Be my guest," Miles replied flatly and went back to his drink, content to think about anything except Juliet Burke.

Ford would ask her out, and according to his account, it had gone perfectly. They'd gone for coffee, "dutch", and though Miles warned him about dating someone from work, Ford insisted that "there's just something about this woman, Miles...I don't know how to put it, but it's...almost like I knew her already from someplace before..."

Miles had to groan at this; was James Ford actually in love? "Just be careful, partner," he warned. "She's a devil in disguise."

The case went on, with things getting more and more awkward as Ford and Burke made moon-eyes at each other as they rode around in the company vehicle (Miles, stewing, now sat in the back).

Unfortunately, the girl's body was found two days later in a dumpster and he and his partner James Ford had to track the man down, only to find him cowering in a trailor park being hidden by his equally idiotic excuse of a mother. They first had to talk him down from killing himself, and then they arrested him.

That night, Miles was packing up and passing by the locker rooms when he heard something strange. Poking his head in, he found to his amazement the "famous" Juliet Burke haunched over on one of the locker room benches, in tears, sobbing her heart out.

"Hey..." Miles, feeling awkward, slouched towards her hesitantly, and Juliet jumped as though a gun had gone off.

"Oh...I'm...sorry," she gasped, staring at him with red-rimmed eyes that filled him immediately with a strange and unexpected sympathy, "I didn't know anyone was still here."

"Well...I am," Miles said, trying to mask his discomfort. "Sorry for having startled you-I'll go," he said quickly, turning without a moment's hesitation towards the door.

"Wait!" Juliet stopped him abruptly, and this time it was Miles who was startled. "Miles...would you just...stay, for a minute? I...could really use the company."

"What about James?" Miles muttered flatly, his back still turned, "shouldn't he be the one on your mind?"

"James was really upset." He could tell she was still crying but still he didn't turn around. "He wouldn't let me talk to him. I-I don't know what to do, Miles," she said haltingly, and to his horror, she began weeping.

"Juliet..." He used her first name without thinking, and before he knew what he was doing, he was sitting next to her and she was sobbing uncontrollably into his chest. He was astonished; he had never had a woman cry like this in front of him before, and suddenly he was comforting the woman he'd detested, and Juliet-so headstrong-was falling apart in his arms. "Ford isn't the type to need a shoulder to cry on," he reassured her as calmly as he could. "He deals with things like this on his own. It's not you, okay? He'll come around."

Much to his relief, his words seemed to calm her. "I...I've never seen him so angry," she murmured, shaking her head dismally. "He looked like he was about to punch the wall or throw something."

"Ford doesn't deal well with failure." This much had become obvious after working with his partner for over a year. "Most cops don't." He waited for a moment as she tried to regain her composure. "Times like this makes me wonder why I became a cop at all."

"Why did you?" Juliet asked him after a moment.

He had to think about that, but came up blank. "Don't know." He shrugged listlessly, then found himself smiling with amusement, "Actually I think Ford put me up to it...as a bet, to see if I could do it."

He found himself pleased to find that she was smiling. "So...who won?" she asked him.

"I did," he answered proudly.

He wasn't sure when it happened, but suddenly she kissed him, and he was kissing her back, and the softness of her lips surprised him, and he didn't want it to end. When she abruptly pulled away, she was staring back at him, both of them in shock. "I-I don't know what..." He, too pulled away sharply, feeling ill at what he'd just done. (Dammit, he was in for it; if this ever got out, Ford was surely going to kill him.)

"I'm-sorry," she choked out, face reddening, and also looked away. "I swear, Miles, I hadn't intended to..."

"Can we-just forget that ever happened?" Miles asked, but his eyes were on the ceiling, on the floor, anywhere but Juliet Burke. "If he ever found out," he added painfully, "our partnership-as well as our friendship..." He trailed off, not wanting to say the words, but thinking them all the same-and that was enough to make him mentally kick himself in the head for letting his hormones run away with him.

"I understand," said Juliet quietly. "I-really don't know what came over me," she murmured, as she stood up and gathered her things.

He sat there not knowing what to do or what to say. _Dammit, Ford had been right...Ford was always right. _

"Goodnight, Miles," she said from the doorway, and he hated how sad she sounded right then. (And damn, did he feel guilty.)

"Night," he said to her retreating back, and then he shook himself a little; because he had to admit, she was a hell of a good kisser.

**A/N: So, what'd you think, readers? Should I continue this? Were the characters in-character? (I rarely write Miles, so feedback is preferred!)**


	2. Chapter 2

If life were up to Miles Straume, James Ford would have had the next day off-but then again, if life were up to Miles Straume, Juliet Burke would have been in his bed last night instead of James Ford's.

Therefore, he came prepared to greet his partner the next morning after he'd kissed Juliet Burke, the girlfriend of a man who he could call his best friend. _It was just a fluke, _he told himself, _they'd had a hard day. _Of course, who was he kidding? He liked her and he knew it; knew it even as he'd despised her. Wondering to himself as he walked into the precinct: _What in the hell had he just gotten himself into? _

"Well-look what the cat dragged in," Ford announced with a small smirking grin, when he saw Miles standing in the doorway. "Hot date last night, Mr. Chan? You look like some pretty little thing just threw you for a loop and left you high and dry."

_How was it that this guy could recover so quick from his losses? _Perhaps there were a few things Miles still had to learn about Detective James Ford. "Long story," he replied hastily, making a beeline for the coffee station and pouring himself a large, extra sugar, hold the milk (his stomach would be angry all day).

"Now you ain't gonna get off that easy." To his dismay, Ford (being his usual nosy-ass self) had followed him, clearly dissatisfied with this answer. "Who is she? Hope she's good." _Real professional, James. _

"Nope, no date," Miles muttered as he picked up some paperwork and strode for his desk, Ford following quickly at his heels (always a man on a mission). He hoped the guy wasn't going to start interrogating him-that was the last thing he needed, and he wasn't completely sure he could keep a straight face.

"Well good," said Ford with an even bigger grin, and before Miles could ask what the guy could be so happy about, Ford had whipped out a piece of paper with a phone number on it. "I've got an assignment for you," he informed Miles, "and her name is Detective Cortez of Homicide."

Miles just stared blankly at the piece of paper with the numbers scribbled on it: 841-516-2342. "You've got to be kidding," he muttered with dismay. "You're setting me up on a blind date? With a _cop_?" he demanded accusingly of Ford, who was standing there and grinning like an idiot (and Ford was no idiot).

"She's all yours, Fabio," said Ford, looking much too pleased with himself as he placed himself down at his desk behind a hefty pile of paperwork, resting his hands comfortably behind his head as he leaned back on the leather chair. "Have a blast, I hear she's kinky."

_Of all days he could do this, it had to be today, _thought Miles dismally, as he returned to his seat.

"How's Juliet?" he found himself asking suddenly, crumpling the piece of paper into a ball and stuffing it inside his pants pocket. _Careful. _"She was really upset last night, man," he said hesitantly, trying to avoid looking Ford in the eyes. "She said you were pretty upset too, but...I guess she was wrong," Miles added, finally forcing himself to face his friend.

He was surprised and concerned to find that Ford's face had darkened and he had clearly gone to a place the man was not prepared to go. "Juliet's fine," Ford declared, but the words were too rushed, to loose on the tongue and for a moment Miles was almost certain that the man was afraid. (Afraid of what, though? Miles didn't want to know.)

Instead of pressing the subject (knowing it would only get riskier) Miles moved closer to the man's desk, trying to be discreet about his concern, knowing that Ford didn't like people getting too close (for some reason, it always seemed to make him nervous). "What about you?" Miles asked carefully.

Ford looked embarrassed. "Juliet worries too much," was all he replied, but Miles thought he saw the man's eyes glaze over briefly. "I'll admit that I was pissed but-who wouldn't be? The guy killed his own daughter and I bet he'll try to plea insanity and get away with the whole damn thing." Ford snorted with disdain and took a swig of his coffee. "His mother-God bless her poor soul-will probably back him up too. The whole goddamn thing's a mess. That little girl could have been saved."

Miles was surprised to hear Ford speak so much on the topic; usually, Ford was one to keep things to himself. "It's nobody's fault, Jim," he offered cautiously, "we did all we could do."

An awkward silence followed, during which Miles could feel the contents of his stomach, along with the coffee, gurgling away in his stomach.

"Who said anything about 'fault'?" Ford finished his coffee cup, and Miles watched with uneasiness as his partner crumpled the cup with his hand, and it seemed that only a man with revenge on his mind could crush something so quick. "Shit like that ain't nobody's fault but the man who did it," Ford added thickly, and Miles was surprised by the bitterness in his friend's voice. (Where had that come from?) He knew better than to ask, and thankfully the whole floor was called to a meeting before they had a chance to discuss anything else.

**A/N: If you didn't catch it, take a look at the numbers...look familiar? ;) Please review! Feedback, plus any ideas and/or plot suggestions, are welcome. :) **


	3. Chapter 3

No sooner had James returned from the meeting when he got a call on his cell from one Juliet Burke. She had been gone all day and he was relieved to see her name pop up in the cell phone window, because even though he wouldn't have admitted it to Miles, he had been a little worried about her (she had barely slept a wink all night long, telling him she'd had a nightmare about their latest case).

"James, I have a case for you," she said. "Through the chief. It's..." He heard her hesitate and knew that if anything was coming through her, he wasn't going to like it. (Special victims cases were never easy, always emotionally draining and the perpetrators were among the grimiest scum of the Earth). "It's a rape case," she said, voice clearly lacking enthusiasm, which was appropriate given the content. "An fifteen year old girl. She says that her mother's boyfriend raped her. After he beat her mother up."

"Shit," said James Ford, sitting back down, dreading the excursion already. _No rest for the wicked._ This meant that she needed him immediately and it also meant he'd have to forget that pressing phone call. (Mr. Sawyer would simply have to wait.) "Where is the bastard?" he asked, eyes searching for Straume, who should have returned from his break a half hour ago. _Sonuvabitch. _

"Her mother believes that he's hiding with friends." Juliet's voice sounded muffled, as though she had a cold. "Asshole left her pretty bruised. She's in the same hospital as her daughter."

"I'm on it," James declared, straightening his holster. "What hospital did you say it was?"

"Cedars Sanai. I'll be meeting you there."

"Got it," nodded Ford without blinking. "See you there."

Just as he was about to head out the door, Miles came heading in. "Where you been Enos?" James demanded accusingly. "We got a new case. Special Victims. We gotta book it."

"Think I got the flu," mumbled Miles as he grabbed his bag.

"Nu-uh," James said, glaring, "you're not going to flake out on this one."

"Dammit Ford. You know how much I hate chicks from Homicide." Miles looked amusingly pale as they left the building and climbed into James' company vehicle. "They always think they know everything."

"Hmm," said James with a smile and wink, "sounds like someone I know."

"I just know I'm coming down with something," Miles insisted as they headed downtown. "Can't you just tell her I've got a cold or something?" The man actually sounded desperate and in spite of where they were heading, James had to laugh.

"Boy are you the definition of pathetic."

"Thanks," said Miles, turning his face to the window as the world sped by. "Hey you haven't seen Juliet today have you? Is she sick too?"

"No," said James with a scowl, "she's meeting us there...and hey, what's with you and she being on a first name basis all of a sudden? You guys better not be exchanging notes behind my back."

"Oh come off it, Ford," Miles said, and James was relieved to see Miles laughing. "Hey we're almost there," said Miles, pointing out the major building on their left.

Juliet met them both on the third floor, which was pediatrics. "She's a little out of it," she declared, and Miles couldn't help but notice how exhausted she looked (it seemed this week was really taking its toll on her). He was surprised by how sympathetic he felt. (He wanted to hug her, but knew it wasn't the right time, or the right place.) "They drugged her, so she's really not too talkative at the moment."

"What's her name?" Miles asked, and Ford took a sideways glance at his partner with blank surprise (Miles rarely cared what the names of their victims were).

"Clementine," said Juliet, "Clementine Philips, but the nurse told me that she goes by Clemmy."

_Terrible name for a child, _thought Ford. _Damned if I ever name _my_ kid that. _"And her mother's?"

"Cassidy," said Juliet. "The man who beat them and raped Clementine's name is Ethan Goodspeed."

_Goodspeed, _thought Miles with bittersweet amusement, _how sickeningly ironic to have a name like that. _

"They both want to file a police report," Juliet explained. "Clementine said that Ethan had been abusing her for several months before the rape."

_Damn. _For some reason, James felt ill. How could anyone harm a child? (More so, how could any man hurt a woman?) He suddenly wanted to kill Ethan Goodspeed with an urge he'd never known himself capable of. (It was nice to want to kill someone else for once...even Mr. Sawyer hadn't raped anyone.) Except it didn't make sense; there were plenty of people that shouldn't have ever been born that he met every single day. So why did this man leave him hungering for revenge? He'd been on special victims cases before. Spoken with several victims of rape. None of their rapists had ever left him feeling sick inside. Why now? He chalked it off to daja vu, which he often experienced from time to time, and left it at that (there were more pressing matters at hand).

Clementine Philips was the palest-faced young woman James had ever met in his life. Her skin was chalk white and was a stark contrast to her golden blond hair, which would have been beautiful if it had been washed recently. When she spoke, her tone was as flat as her face, and was so soft that James and Miles could barely make out a word, but each word was like a pinprick to the finger. "He _raped_ me," she told them, the anger still breaking through the the haze of depression and narcotics. "My mother's boyfriend raped me." This was all it took for her to burst into tears. Julie held her hand the whole time she talked, and James was secretly moved by her compassion. "I can't believe this, you know," she said through her tears, teeth clenched, eyes like daggers full of hatred for the man that had stolen her childhood away. "I just can't believe this." And she started crying again.

"We'll get the bastard," said James, and Miles was touched by the fierceness in his partner's voice. "Don't you worry sweetheart. We'll get him and we'll keep you safe."

"But," sobbed Clementine, "is it really that easy? I...I should have stopped him," she said, and though Juliet was shaking her head, Clementine continued to sob, and Miles and James both had to look away. "I should have stopped the asshole before he got away."

"_You_ are the victim here," said Juliet, holding both her hands tightly, and James loved her even more than before. "You did nothing wrong, sweety. Don't worry about a thing. Just focus on getting well. Let us do the job of putting that asshole in jail where he belongs. Okay?"

Then, even though James knew it wasn't the professional thing to do, Juliet leaned forward and gave Clementine a hug.

"Thank you," said Clementine, as Miles handed her a box of tissues. "Is my mother doing better?" she asked suddenly. "I'm really worried about her. They said-" Gasping, Clementine managed to continue, "they said he might have broken her leg."

"We haven't seen your mother yet, kiddo," James said. (Funny, he had never used the word 'kiddo' in all his life.) He wasn't sure why but he felt a strong urge of protection for Clementine. "You just sit tight. We're on the hunt. We'll be seeing her next. Juliet has some forms for you to fill out, a statement of the attack-you can put whatever you want, but the more the better-and in the meantime, we'll go see your mother and tell her you're asking for her. How's that sound sweetheart?"

"Okay," said Clementine tearfully, and James was pleased to see that she looked relieved. "Thanks again Mister-" she stopped when she couldn't find a name tag.

"Detective James Ford," he told her, "and this is Detective Miles Straume. We'll be handling your case from now on. If you have any needs you can call Detective Burke or myself or my partner at any hour of the day. Here's my card," he said handing it to her. "Call me if you need me." (Strange, he had never given out his card to anyone either.) He could feel Miles' eyes on him, questioning. "I'll see you soon hon," he said to Juliet, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving. "Dinner at my place tonight."

"See you James." Juliet looked just as relieved as Clementine was.

The last thing he saw was her loving face as he left the door, and he had the strangest feeling that all was right in the world-even when it clearly wasn't.


	4. Chapter 4

The Los Angeles night life was on full swing and the downtown restaurant lounge was full of people, but Miles found Officer Cortez right away. Her profile was just as Ford had described it: a short Hispanic woman with chestnut hair and eyes, a beautiful curve, and a stunning bust. Miles was drawn towards her immediately, finding the mischievous look in her eyes intriguing. She was sitting at the bar when he found her. "You Miles?" she asked promptly with the officer's observance, quickly holding out her hand in a strangely professional manner.

Miles was pleased that she'd recognized him so quickly. (Then again, there weren't a whole lot of short Chinese men milling about.) "You got him," he nodded with a smile. "Ana Lucia, right?" he added as his hand met hers in a strong clasp.

"That's right," said Ana Lucia with a proud nod. "Ana Lucia Guadalupe Cortez."

"Guadalupe?" Miles was impressed. "As in, 'Our Lady of Guadalupe'?"

"That's the one," said Ana Lucia with a shrug. "Guess it's meant to keep me on my toes or something while I run around with a gun on me." At this, she smirked, and Miles chuckled lightly at the joke. "Can I buy you a drink?" Ana Lucia asked then, nodding towards the bar.

Miles noted that she was already well into her drink, something clear and stiff in a short shot glass. "I'll have what you're having," he decided, thinking: _After a day like today, to hell with it. _

_He and Ford hadn't been able to meet with Cassidy, as she was apparently in a coma, and the prospects for recovery didn't look good. It seemed that during their struggle, Ethan had knocked her head into the wall, causing multiple contusions and she had a bleed in her brain. It seemed nobody wanted to tell the girl what was really going on with her mother, as they knew that Clementine had enough on her plate dealing with her own trauma at hand, and Ford had been more pissed off than Miles had ever seen him. In fact, his partner had gotten physically ill once they went outside into broad daylight-somehow managing to vomit directly into the rosebush-and Miles had been shocked, because since when did cases ever have this kind of affect on a guy like James Ford? Ford never let anything get to him...then there had been the case from last week (which was pretty disturbing) and now this-a possible homicide, if Cassidy Philips didn't make it out alive. Yet Miles had never seen Ford react quite like this. His partner had been practically seething, and nothing had ever turned Detective Ford's stomach to the point of no return, not even a crime scene where blood was splattered all over the place. Well, he and James would have to have a little talk, Miles decided, because there was clearly _something _going on with the man that he wasn't telling. (The whole thing was bizarre, to say the least.) _

"Penny for your thoughts?" Miles' vision cleared as his mind returned to the present, finding Ana Lucia looking at him strangely. "You look like you just saw a ghost."

"Long day," Miles shrugged with a laugh, trying to feign indifference. "Forgive me."

Ana Lucia simply smiled an enigmatic smile, and soon his drink was on the bar, and he took a quick sip of it, surprised by its strength. "What is this?" Miles winced.

"Gin and tonic," said Ana Lucia, looking slightly amused, "it's my favorite."

"So how's everything going in Homicide?" asked Miles when the conversation lulled.

"Please," Ana Lucia snorted, "work's the last thing on my mind right now." Shaking her head at him in disgust she added, "don't you guys ever leave your work at the office?"

_And then suddenly, as though with a flash of light, he knew she was lying-that she wanted very much to talk about her job, because she had recently gone through something-something horrible-she had shot a man, and she was feeling horrible about it. He had narrowly missed her gut, the bullet only grazing her thigh, and she knew if she'd turned only a couple of inches to the left, he would have shot her directly in the stomach, and it would be over-all over. _

Miles blinked, and he found himself suddenly cold in a very warm room, packed with bodies like they were sardines. Why did he just think all that? How would he know such information? He kept sipping the drink, and she had ordered them burgers and fries, and he ate as quick as he could, because he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. _This-this is why he hated blind dates. _

They talked about everything except what he knew she was brooding over. They talked about stuff he rarely spoke about with anyone: the news, latest politics, the latest score of the Los Angeles Angels (apparently they both rooted for the same team).

"So-how are you with kids?" she asked him suddenly.

_So that was why he kept on picturing a little girl, about three or four or five years old, running down the driveway to meet her mother as she arrived home from work, jet-black hair and stunning brown eyes, the mirror image of her mother in youth. _

Miles shook himself and answered (albeit hesitantly) "Kids? Don't really have any history with them, except for my cousin who lives back in Encino." 

She was nervous as she announced, "I have a daughter, she's five, her name is Isabella. She's always asking about the other people at Mommy's work. I'd love to introduce her to you sometime," said Ana Lucia carefully, "if you're cool with it." _Shit, not only is she looking for a prospective lover, she's also looking for a prospective father. _(Time to book it.)

"Uh..." Miles tried to ignore the urgent warning in his gut, shouting at him to leave immediately. "Sure...I guess we could do that." _Jesus Christ, Miles, you've only just met this girl...Why are you so hell-bent on meeting her kid? _

"Oh hey, look, I don't mean right away," Ana Lucia explained, looking _(he knew uncharacteristically) _embarrassed. "That's just my way of saying I think we should go on another date. Sorry," she added with a hesitant shrug, "it's become something of a habit. I gotta protect my daughter, ya know?"

"Sure," said Miles again, feeling drained. "I'll call ya."

_Wondering if he really would-_because something about this chick really gave him the willies.


End file.
